Boost for HK as Chapman confirms availability for Dubai tournament

Stylish teenage batsman Mark Chapman will be available for the ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Dubai in April - and lead Hong Kong in their quest for more funding from the International Cricket Council.

Chapman (pictured), 16, whose unbeaten knock of 70 guided Hong Kong to victory over Papua New Guinea in the Division Three tournament final last month, has since left for boarding school in New Zealand. "But he has told us that he will be available for selection for Dubai," Hong Kong head coach Charlie Burke said. "This is a huge bonus as he is a key member of the team."

Batting at No4, the left-hander was a success story in his first outing for the senior side. He really fired in the last game, showing he can score runs quickly by finishing with the best strike rate among the top four batsmen.

A potential match-winner, Chapman's presence in the six-team competition in Dubai will lift Hong Kong's hopes of finishing in the top four - the other teams are Namibia, Bermuda, Uganda, Papua New Guinea and hosts the United Arab Emirates - and thus ensuring they are fast-tracked by the ICC.

The selectors will name a squad of 18 this week that will then be cut to the touring 14 a month before the April 8-15 tournament in Dubai.

There will be a number of changes to the last squad, with Munir Dar and Tabarak Dar having stepped down. "They have both moved on and pulled stumps," Burke said. "We will now look at replacing them, and I would be surprised if Max Tucker is not among the 18 named by the selectors."

Tucker, a medium-fast bowler, grabbed five for 24 against Malaysia in the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Thailand and is seen as a promising prospect.